Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Overcoming Obstacles: The Warrior's Path

"Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health" wrote the great, mystical psychologist, Carl Jung. Jung never studied the martial arts, but he understood well the importance of problem solving.

The word "stress" receives a lot of bad press these days. And while many of us are subjected to the multiple burdens of typical daily living, we need a certain amount of "good stress" to feel purposeful. How does this apply to karate? Karate training by it's nature is a difficult undertaking; it's supposed to be that way. Sometimes we enjoy executing our favorite kick or punch and take pride in doing that. Other times we feel overwhelmed with frustration because we just can't get the hang of learning the newest technique. This is perfectly normal. Take solace in knowing that every martial artist who ever lived had obstacles to overcome - that is the warrior's path.